Flying-machine



H. A. HILL;

FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-22. I918.

1,308,632. Patented July 1, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET H. A. HILL;

FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.22. I918.

Patented July 1, 1919. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 HOMER A. HILL, OF LEBANON,TENNESSEE.

FLYING-MACHINE.

soaeaza.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1, 1919.

Application filed August 22, 1918. Serial N 0. 250,999.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOMER A. HILL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lebanon, in the county of \Vilson and State of Tennessee,have invented new and useful Improvements in Flying-Machines, of \VhlCllthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to flyin machines, and particularly to flyingmachines of the helicopter type, one object of the invention being toprovide a flying machine of this character embodying acombined suporting and propelling means consisting o a series of superposedpropellers adjustable to different working positions for a liftingaction or a combined lifting and propelling action, and which also maybe rotated at various speeds to govern the ascent and descent of thecraft.

A further object of the invention is to provide simple, reliable andefficient means for driving and adjusting the propellers and maintaininga determined relationship be a tween the same and the car of the craft,whereby stability is secured.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination andarrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is aside'elevation, with parts in section, of a helicopter flying machineembodying my invention, showing the rotating propellers in liftingposition.

Fig. 2 is a' top plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the upper portion ofthe car and the lower portion of the tilting propeller carrying frame.

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through the upper portion ofthe propeller carrying frame and the hubs of the two upper propellers.

Fig. 5 is a sectionalplan view on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a partial sectional view of the blade.

In carrying my invention into practice, I provide a car 1 of anysuitable form and construction, but preferably of substantially conicalform as shown, and having a carriage or wheel support 2 for supportingthe machine when at rest upon the ground and adapting the same to bemoved from place to place upon the ground or to run along the surface ofthe ground under its own ower. Thls car is designed to contain suita leaccommodations for the pilot and means.

Supported by the car 1 is a mast 4 carrymg a series of superposed setsof propellers, each set consisting of an upper propeller 5 and acompanion lower propeller 6, the I propellers 5 and 6 being constructedand arranged to rotate simultaneously in opposite directions. In thepresent instance I have shown the use of two sets or pairs' ofpropellers 5 and 6, but any number may be employed, accordin to the sizeof the machine and other con itions.

Each propeller 5 or 6 is of similar construction, with the exceptionshereinafter mentioned, and comprises a hub or drum 7 provided with aseries of equidistantly arranged radial arms 8 carrying propeller blades9, each propeller bein shown in the present instance as having fourblades arranged at an angle of 90 to each other. The arms 8 may be of asuitable truss construction to secure proper strength and resistance tostrain, and each propeller blade 9 is preferably of oblong rectangularform and provided at its outer end with a flange 10 and along its loweredge with a flange 11. The blades 9 are set at a proper angle ofinclination to gather and compress the air as they revolve, and theflanges 10 and 11. face forward in the direction of rotation of theblade and act as air gathering and retaining elements to hold the airconfined and compressed against the body of the blade for a suflicicntperiod to secure the proper dynamical reaction for supporting effect.

As each propeller 5 rotates in one direction, while its companionpropeller 6 retates in the opposite direction, it will be understoodthat the body portions and flanges 10 and1l of the propellers 5 inclineand face in one direction, while the body portions and flanges of thepropellers 6 incline and face in the opposite direction to those of thepropellers '5. Thus the blade of each propeller 5 or 6, as it revolves,travels at a determined pitch or angle of incidence and ing from saidshaft, so as to effect the rotation of the propellers 6 in the oppositedirection to the direction of rotation of the propellers 5 and shaft 14.To this end the shaft 14 is provided with a bevel drive gear 15 for eachpropeller 6, said gear 15 meshing with one member 16 of a double bevelgear j ournaled upon a stub shaft 17, carried by a fixed part of themast 4, the other bevel gear member 18 of which double bevel gear mesheswit-h a bevel gear 19 on the hub or drum 7 of the propeller 6, wherebysaid propeller is driven. 4 v

i The mast structure 4 comprises a serles of supporting and bearingdisks or heads 20 connected and held in fixed relation by bars or rods21, the heads or disks 20 being arranged in pairs with the heads orbearing members of each pair arranged above and below the respectivedrums or hubs 7 of the propellers. The meeting faces of the adjacentheads of the propeller hubs are grooved to form raceways 22 betweenWhich are interposed anti-friction bearing balls or members 23,operating to center and maintain the drums in proper workingrelationship while permitting of free and easy rotary motion thereof. Asshown, the frame bars 21 which connect the bearing heads 20 associatedwith-the hubs 7 of the propellers 6 extend through said hubs and serveas supports for the double bevel gears of the propeller drive gearing,said hubs revolving about the said frame bars in an obvious manner. Themast includes the upper disk or head 21 which is fixed to the upper endof the shaft 14 and between which and the adjacent propeller hub 7 arearranged antifriction bearings of the type described.

The mast also includes a lower head or bracket 24 forming a base supportfor pivotally connecting the same with thereduced upper end of theconical car 1, said bracket 24 being shown in the present instance asconnected by horizontal transverse pivots 25 with bracket members 26attached to the sides of the car 1, whereby the mast and propellers areadapted to be turned in a fore and aft direction. A drive shaft 27 isjournaled upon the car 1 and driven in any suitable manner from -themotor, and-this shaft 27 is coupled at its lower end to the propellershaft 14 by means of a joint 28 of suitable construction to connect saidshafts for a driving action, while permitting tilting motion of theshaft 14 with the mast. Thus it will be understood that the mast andpropellers may be inclined at a working angle of inclination withrespect to the car 1, which normally hangs in a vertical position,without interfering in any manner with the driving action between themotor and the propellers.

For the purpose of tilting the mast and propellers any suitablemechanism is provided comprising a threaded shaft 29 with which engagesa nut 30 provided with a hand wheel 31, said nut being disposed betweenbracket members 32 on the car which are apertured for the passage of theshaft 29, whereby said shaft may be moved upwardly or downwardly andlocked by the nut in adjusted position. A link 33 connects the shaft 29with the bracket 24, whereby through the adjustments of the shaft themast and propellers may be tilted and locked at any desired angle ofworking inclination relative to the car 1.

In the operation of launching the craft, the propellers, arranged in thenormal position shown in Fig. 1, are set into action and revolved athigh speed to lift the craft directly from the ground into the air. Whenthe desired altitude is reached the propellers are then tilted forwardlyat such an angle that the propeller blades Will exert a supportingeffect as well as a propelling effect the machine may be maintained at agiven altitude in the air and driven forward, and by prope tiltingmotions of the propellers in a fore and aft direction the longitudinalstability of the craft may. be maintained, the gyroscopic action of theoppositely rotating sets of propellers giving inherent lateralstability. It will be evident that by proper adjustments of thepropellers the craft may be caused to ascend'in a direct vertical pathor to ascend at an angle, and by reducing the speed of the propellersthe craft may be allowed to descend at any desired low rate of speedeither in a direct vertical path or at a gliding angle. By also reducingthe speed of the propellers to exact sustentation speed, the craft maybe made to hover in the air over any given point.

Having thus fully described my invention, I .claim:

1. A flying machine comprising a car, a mast connected at its lower endwith the car and comprising a series of @aced and superposed bearing andsupporting heads, pairs ol' propellers mounted upon the mast, thepropellers of each pair being adapted to rotate in opposite directions,said propellers having hubs disposed between adjacent a heads and inbearing contact therewith, a

shaft extending through the mast and to which the hubs of certain ofsaid propellers are fixed, and drive gearing between said shaft and thehubs of the other propellers for driving said propellers in the reversedirection to the direction of rotation of the shaft. a

2. A flying-machine comprising a car, a

mast pivotally connected at its lower end with the car to tilt in a foreand aft direcpropellers for driving said propellers in the reversedirection to the direction of the rotation of the shaft. v

3. A flying machine comprising a car, a drive shaft upon the car, a mastpivoted at its lower end to the car for tilting motion in a fore and aftdirection, saidmast including a series of spaced and superposed bearinheads, a plurallty of pairs of horizonta 1y rotatable propellers havinghubs journaled on the mast between the bearing heads, the propellers ofeach pair being adapted to rotate in opposite directions, a drive shaftextending through the heads and hubs of.

the propellers and to which the hubs of cer tain of said propellers arefixed, gearing between said'shaft and the hubs of the other propellersfor driving said propellers in a direction opposite to the direction ofrotation of the shaft, a joint connection between the said drive andpropeller shafts to permit the latter to be driven from the former andalso to be tilted in a fore-and-aft direction, and means upon the carfor tilting the mast and propellers in a fore and aft direction.

In testimony whereofI aiiix my signature.

HOMER A. HILL.

